**spoiler alert** This book reveals details of the Reign of Terror, a period still reverberating throughout Osage life in Oklahoma. They were relocate**spoiler alert** This book reveals details of the Reign of Terror, a period still reverberating throughout Osage life in Oklahoma. They were relocated to land that turned out to be rich with oil reserves. This oil not only made them wealthy, it made them targets of the many corrupt (and outright evil) whites who sought to exploit them for their headrights--and to do far worse. The state government enacted laws to strip the Osage of any meaningful control over their money (and allow whites to "legally" grift them). Whites ingratiated themselves with the Osage for the purpose of killing them. One woman lost nearly her entire family. The only entity willing to do anything was the FBI--then in its infancy--but even this institution failed to investigate--or even appreciate--the full scope of the conspiracy. Likely hundreds of murders took place during the Reign, and the only man investigated and convicted was clearly not the only culprit. The Osage's death rate was roughly 1.5 times the rate of others in Oklahoma at a time when their death rate should have been lower due to their affluent lifestyle. Most Osage have at least one family member who died during the Reign of Terror. Most of the deaths remain suspicious and will probably always be unsolved.

I can see why this book is so popular. It started off a little slow for me, but once it picked up the pace, I was absolutely hooked. Grann clearly did his homework--the Notes are roughly 15% of the ebook--but his writing is clear and he doesn't gum up the pages with his research. As far as the FBI, this story shows how good agents can effect good change (change agent! ha), but also how, even in its beginning, the FBI fell woefully short. Highly recommend....more

This is a middle-grade mystery, so it’s not tough to figure out whodunnit. I think this was done for an educational publisher, so there were probablyThis is a middle-grade mystery, so it’s not tough to figure out whodunnit. I think this was done for an educational publisher, so there were probably a lot of vocabulary guidelines to hit. So I think the author did a nice job of telling an engaging story for kids and for adults who want the comfort of the good guy getting the bad guy in a way that doesn’t tax the brain.

More and more, I find that the books that knock me out have the least formal language. This is one of those books. I don't know why, but the casual laMore and more, I find that the books that knock me out have the least formal language. This is one of those books. I don't know why, but the casual language Mina uses evokes such a closeness to the characters made it impossible to look away when I was reading. Robin MicKinley evoked a similar reaction from me in Sunshine.

Anyway, this story is about a woman who wakes one morning to find her boyfriend murdered in her apartment. She's spent time in a mental hospital, so her memory and sanity are immediately questioned. Without giving too much away, I'll say she has a dark past (not of her own making), a lush for a mother, and a totally dysfunctional family.

Abuse plays a huge theme in Garnethill, but Mina is already such a skilled writer with her debut, she doesn't turn it into a fist-shaking treatise. She just shows what devastating effects it can have--and to come through it, you learn by experience to become a bit of a hanging judge.

I started off giving this four stars, but prior to this book I was becoming pretty jaded in my reading. This got me over that. I can't wait to read more of her work.

If you liked Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, you'll probably like this....more

Wanted to like this more than I did. I love the show and I've seen it twice, but the book feels so much more macho. A lot of it felt familiar, too, soWanted to like this more than I did. I love the show and I've seen it twice, but the book feels so much more macho. A lot of it felt familiar, too, so I wonder if Douglas re-covered this ground in Anatomy of Motive.

Really nice compendium of Connelly's articles from his work at the L.A. Times and the Florida Sentinel. He covers some of L.A.'s worst cases--some ofReally nice compendium of Connelly's articles from his work at the L.A. Times and the Florida Sentinel. He covers some of L.A.'s worst cases--some of which, at the time of his writing, remain unsolved. You can see the origins for Bosch here. If you're a Connelly completist, you should pick this one up. ...more

At the end of the book, Pelisek laments that we don't know why the Grim Sleeper killed all the women he did--which seems to me to negate the point ofAt the end of the book, Pelisek laments that we don't know why the Grim Sleeper killed all the women he did--which seems to me to negate the point of writing the book. However--and this is a big however--she brings to light the murders of women who are so marginalized in our society that, without her interest and writing, might never have been solved. Most of the women the Lonnie Davis murdered were prostitutes and drug addicts--sometimes both--and society doesn't tend to care about them. The police didn't like her writing about the murders, but I think this does her a disservice. In the end, she deserves kudos for caring. Most people--let alone most journalists--wouldn't....more

A great introduction into a life we don't hear enough about--Sarah Edmonds, a woman who chose to live as a man before and during the Civil War. CitedA great introduction into a life we don't hear enough about--Sarah Edmonds, a woman who chose to live as a man before and during the Civil War. Cited for bravery, she was asked to spy on the South, and did so successfully. This short book chronicles her story, but she wrote her own. ...more

Elsa is "seven!" and an original--just like her grandmother, who sends her on a quest to get to know her neighbors in the huge house theyA rare find.

Elsa is "seven!" and an original--just like her grandmother, who sends her on a quest to get to know her neighbors in the huge house they all live in, not to mention her own parents. There's Britt-Marie, president of the non-existent leaseholders' association; Alf, taxi driver extraordinaire; Mum, as controlled and organized as Grandmother was loose and disorganized; Dad, the most tentative man a person can be; and the "wurse," probably my favorite character in the novel, besides Elsa.

Backman must have never forgotten what it was truly like to be a kid. If you're a kid, I highly recommend this book, particularly if you're a Harry Potter/Spiderman/X-Men fan. If you're an adult, you should read it, too--not just to understand your children better, but to REMEMBER. ...more

I didn't give this any stars--not because it didn't merit any, but because I don't give stars to books that aren't four or five stars for me. (It's myI didn't give this any stars--not because it didn't merit any, but because I don't give stars to books that aren't four or five stars for me. (It's my understanding that not rating a Goodreads book doesn't harm or help its star rating. I don't wish to harm.)

The subject matter here is truly fascinating and brings to light a little-known area of crime--that of art heists. Wittman's accounts are no less scary than drug deals--well, maybe a little less scary. He only had to arm himself during an undercover deal once in his career, toward the end. But the characters he dealt with were no less shady than drug dealers. Perhaps what made them less scary was that they were, as a rule, rather stupid.

The writing is engaging and this is a rather quick read. But its heavy reliance on foreshadowing made me a little crazy. ...more

We hear a lot about the sophomore slump from second-time novelists, but in McHugh's case, it just isn't true. In fact, I think she's reached a level tWe hear a lot about the sophomore slump from second-time novelists, but in McHugh's case, it just isn't true. In fact, I think she's reached a level true mastery here....more

I had never read William Gay before this book. Not even sure I'd heard of him. This one popped up on some list of crime short stories and I decided toI had never read William Gay before this book. Not even sure I'd heard of him. This one popped up on some list of crime short stories and I decided to try him out. Really glad I did. He's a master. I wouldn't say crime is the main element in these stories, though. They're really stories about loss and irreversible decisions....more

Picked this up for $1.99. Overall, I'd say it was worth it. I really like the exercises and how you can move through them gradually. I like that therePicked this up for $1.99. Overall, I'd say it was worth it. I really like the exercises and how you can move through them gradually. I like that there's no equipment other than a hand towel (for Let Me Ins and sometimes the squats)--which makes it easy to do these exercises virtually anywhere. If you're one of those people who find doing even a few push-ups too hard--even when you're modifying them--these are a great way to work your way up to them.

The only issue I have with this book is that Lauren makes some stupid comments about cardio. He says not to do it at all--pretty much going against every single doctors' and medical experts' advice ever. Yes, if you do too much cardio, it's possible to burn muscle. You also burn muscle if you eat too little. But let's face it: most of us need SOME cardio. Are resistance training exercises important? Absolutely. But SO many studies have been done that it's pretty safe to say a combination of cardio and resistance training is the best way to go. And a recent study showed that cardio helps your body get rid of fat in your organs. When you're overweight or obese, your liver can store fatty tissue, and that can wreak havoc on your metabolism. And your heart--you need cardio for good heart health. So... just a word to the wise.

I started off with just these exercises for the first two weeks. I didn't feel like I did much at all during my first work out, but the next day, my thigh muscles were so sore I could barely walk down a flight of stairs. But I noticed no difference in how I felt, and I sort of missed riding my recumbent bike. So I started again, and that's when I started to see a change. So for me, a combination of cardio and these resistance training exercises has worked best. The cardio keeps me more alert and has pretty much gotten rid of my mind fog. The resistance exercises have slimmed me down somewhat and have definitely made me stronger.

I knocked off two stars for the cardio comments. I think they're dangerous. But the exercises are really good, and it's great that you don't need special equipment, which makes this a cost-conscious and effective program....more

Read this through the First to Read program. Gardiner's style has changed. Less humor, more thrills--but that could also be that this is a thriller asRead this through the First to Read program. Gardiner's style has changed. Less humor, more thrills--but that could also be that this is a thriller as opposed to a mystery novel. At any rate, she provides a real page turner here....more